A Christmas Tale
The Young Riders is an Ogiens/Kane Production, created by Ed Spielman. I only borrowed his characters, no infringement of copyright intended.
© *bright 2003

She couldn't believe how unlucky a person could get. Pushing through the icy wind of the plain the buggy had broken down, left wheel fallen off just like that. The groceries probably mish mashed beyond recognition by now. And now they had to walk all the way home. Today of all days; couldn't Kid get one of his hissy fits and start worrying about her and ride out to look for her? Today she'd welcome some fretting. She sent a silent thanks that Tessa and Miah were staying at Rachel's to help her out with the tidying of the schoolhouse. Of course, they might have needed some more hands to carry the sacks but Miah would probably have had a little too much fun in regard to his sister's misgivings in the planning of the perfect holiday.

Dawn trudged behind her, with the horse in tow and dragging the sack of potatoes she refused to leave at the scene because of the risk of freezing. And of course they had chosen to take Spots this day of all days. A horse so ticklish they couldn't have him carry their sack on his back. They had tried and Spots had jumped u and down, causing their packages to spread all over the plains. And still, now that they needed to get home soon he dragged his hooves behind him, refusing to follow anybody but Dawn and that after a large amount of the bright red winter apples they had purchased for a ridiculous amount of money. Lou smirked, that all made the whole trip more time-consuming and tiresome. Specially when she had felt obliged to take home the sugar and the salt, which might have melted in the cold rain and the sack of coffee beans that she just felt she needed a gallon of once they got home. Pitch black and hot, the only thing that had her walk this fast was the vision of steaming coffee, a warm lace near the fire and somebody to rub her frozen feet.

The homestead finally came into sight behind the trees and Lou sighed deeply just as the rain shifted from ice cold into actual grain of frozen water hitting down hard. Spots seemed to finally wake up and looked longingly at the hay in the corral, then taking a turn in the desired direction and throwing Dawn off balance. With a yelp she let go off the sack and staggered backwards before she fell on her butt into one of the larger pools of mud and manure. She cursed the horse and let go off the reins while taking a fist of the dirt and hurling it at the gelding with his head stuck between the poles and happily munching on the hay.

The gelding didn't mind, just looked rather surprised at the human behaving that badly in the midst of his well-deserved lunch.

"That's it," Dawn growled, "who can I sue? Who can I kick? Is there anybody out there I can make pay for this day straight from - you know what place I'm referring to!" Her litany was halted only by her obvious imminent need for some air as she struggled to her feet and started walking. Still, after a couple of wheezing intakes of breath she spat out: "An' I don't even celebrate Christmas!"

"You should have let that sack behind like I told ya," Lou remarked with a quick glance over her shoulder at the fuming woman behind her. Dawn had been the one to fall off the buggy as it tipped and she was a sight for sore eyes. The hem of the dress was beyond recognition; her whole appearance had taken on the same darkish gray tint her mood had grown into during the walk. Her wet hair clung to her equally soaked coat and the streaks of mud on her face gave her an air of a warrior on the warpath. Bloodthirsty was the word that came to Lou.

"But I'm sure you'll love it," Lou tried, "we can make our own traditions and all, you know, like a real big family all comin' together kinda."

"A real big family with sensational colds," Dawn remarked, casting a quick glance at the woman in front of her. Then her mood shifted and a sardonic grin formed on her lips; "Lou, just to brighten your day further, I have to tell you, you look like hell," Dawn panted and shifted the position of the sack on her back.

"Well, you ain't no beauty yourself," Lou grinned widely, "good call to head directly home. We'da gotten arrested if we walked back to Sweetwater lookin' like this."

"What ar'ya sayin'?" Dawn looked genuinely surprised, "that I was right? Well that's a first. Maybe your hell truly did freeze over."

In chagrin Lou turned her eyes back to the path she was slowly advancing on. So they had lost at least half-an-hour on debating whether to turn back or go into town and get help. So they had lost some time, so what? Frowning Lou rounded the barn and almost fell to her face on the muddy ground. She swallowed a curse. After all, she was a mother now.

But the mother tagging behind her didn't have that self-control obviously; the words that escaped her when she stopped in her tracks and let the sack fall to the ground were not suitable for anybody's ears. Neither were the ones crossing Lou's mind when she laid her eyes on the scene on their front porch.

There, in the icy wind stood two men with their heads stuck into wooden sinks. Arm flailing as they looked for escaped soaps and towels. The steam from the water created a cloud around the heads, blinding them enough to have them grunt and mutter because of the missing items. Their clothes were covered with tell tale signs of a failed operation. As was their trail from the door, footsteps marked by muddy water, black soot scattered in a trail that was spread on the planks, the widow, the whitewashed railing and the door.

Lou felt her face fall at the sight. How on earth was this possible? They had left them less than four hours ago, at first light. Both men had promised solemnly to baby-sit and watch the stew on the stove. Teaspoon swore he'd keep an eye on the process. That was all they had asked of them. Teaspoon being there should have stopped them from ulterior reckless and destructive behavior, and now this?

"Who are those people?" Dawn asked, not quite believing her eyes. "Please tell me we took the wrong turn somewhere. That one over there is not who I was stupid enough to marry, is it?"

At the sound of her voice Buck's head popped up from the mist emanating from the bucket. He looked guilty as sin when he rubbed soap from his left eye and glanced in their direction. Then he mumbled something and slapped Kid's shoulder. Kid wisely held his head hidden in the bucket.

Lou read clear terror on Buck's face as they approached the porch. A porch that Lou herself had decorated with pine branches last night. Pine branches and red ribbons. As late as this morning she had taken the time to sweep it clean once more, making it look pristine and welcoming. Christmasy.

"And what is this?" Dawn asked cautiously, having Kid groan loudly inside the bucket. "I am not askin' for a logical explanation, coz' I darned well know you ain't got one, just...just, what the tarnation are the two of you doin' and where's the kids at while you two are out here makin' fools of yourselves?"

"Ain't you two in town?" Buck tried evasively.

"Does it look that way?" Lou snapped, her eyes narrowing at the sight of her husband whose head seemed halfway stuck into the bucket. "What ya gone an' done now?"

Kid's head popped up and sprayed her with black water dripping off his hair. His eyes widening at the sight of Lou. "What happened? You alright?"

"Never mind," Lou stated curtly, silencing him with a reprimanding glare before continuing in a voice that dripped of devilish sarcasm: "What I wanna know is what happened here? I did clean the house for the Holidays, you're too sweet to help out like this."

"Now Lou," Kid started just as Buck chimed in with his own tale:

"Well you've been complaining," Buck started with a desperate glance at the man at his side.

"About the stove not havin' enough draft lately." Kid helped out, wiping his nose.

"So Kid here." Buck continued, disregarding the look from the aforementioned, "thought we'd try and see what the problem was."

"So Buck climbed up to check how the chimney was doin' and...." Kid took a step back as Lou stepped up to him, forcing him to lean up against the wall.

"Somethin' was stuck alright." Buck hastened the tale up, glancing at the infuriated woman;"and I went to get that long pole we used to fish up that bucket that fell into the well and then, well, somethin' else musta came loose with the bird and ..."

"The bird?" Dawn asked aghast."There was a dead bird in there?"

"Never mind the bird," Lou wheezed, "how did this happen?" She let her gaze sweep talkatively over the porch, the soot covered man and the window from behind which Teaspoon was peering at them. Emma in his lap and Blossom's nose pressed to the windowpane. Lou noted that the blue ribbon she had tied into Blossom's hair now hung loose and wore the signs of dirty fingers desperately tying to tie it back. The child had a streak of soot right on her cheek, evidence of a futile trial to clean her up. Lou's eyes wandered over to her own daughter tucked safely into Teaspoon's hold. The dress had been a pale blue this morning, now it was a mishmash of colors on the front, dried strawberry jam, a wee bit of porridge and fuzzy thumbprints. She raised her eyes and caught Teaspoon's flickering gaze right on. The man tried a stern look but failed miserably under Lou's scrutination. Emma squirmed happily in his hold, babbling and stretching her chubby arms out for Lou.

Dawn and Lou's eyes met and they both burst in to save what was left to save of their hard work of cleaning the place up for Christmas.

"Old man," Dawn berated Teaspoon, "how is it possible to reduce a house into this in only a couple o' hours?" She lifted her daughter up to eye level and critically took in the signs of the failed babysitting. Blossom laced her arms hard around Dawn's neck and squeezed, all while a fountain of guilty excitement and a little sanctimonious righteousness poured out: "Ma! Grandpa' bloke da butte-bowl."

Dawn cast another annoyed glance at the culprit.

"Id just ...'oof'!" Blossom peered at her mother. "Poof", she said again, to get her point across. "Glandda' bad?"

Lou rolled her eyes, fishing up Emma from Teaspoon's hold and tucking her daughter into her arms. Emma smiled and let loose a long explanation in childish gibberish about her Pa and unca Buck doing this and that. Her sooty small fingers digging into Lou's hair. There was a smell of strawberry jam all over her little one, the sweet smell of the rosy soap she had bather her little one with last night was totally gone. Now there was a smell of soot, strawberries and old dried porridge all over her baby. To her chagrin, Emma looked perfectly happy with the situation.

Lou sighed and took a look at the devastation inside; jam on the floor, soot on the table, and dark handprints on various walls. A rope laid atop the table, on her tablecloth, a fork tied to it. She wouldn't even ask about that. Certain things these men had done were beyond her understanding. Most of it was even beyond her imagination.

"We're taking the kids and moving over to Dawn's," she told the man peering at her. "We're gonna tidy these children and ourselves up, salvage what's left of that stew and then sit down and wait for the three of you to re-hand me this house, as I left it. But before that, you send that husband o' mine out to get the buggy. The wheel's fallen off again and I need that merchandise now. And tell him that if he breaks another thing he will be sleeping with the hen till Easter. Understood?"

Dawn swallowed a giggle.

"Yes ma'am," Teaspoon made a military salute, clicking his heels together.

Lou rolled her eyes and turned to walk out, passing her dog-eyed husband in the doorway, circling Buck behind him before proceeding to what seemed like heaven right now; a clean house.

It took them four hours to get the kids cleaned up and themselves presentable. The stew needed re-heating by then and the floor a good wash. Men with dirty boots had crisscrossed it on numerous occasions. First to bring the casserole with the food in, then to bring new clothes for Lou and then getting her dirty ones for a wash-up. Next time they had come, not once but three times to ask for directives, where were the rags, the soap, the new curtains, the broom, and the sinks. Lou had stopped rolling her eyes the second time someone stomped inside with another silly question. The fact was that they were badly behind schedule; the men should have been out hunting a turkey, or at least some bird resembling one, by now. Lou had made up a tight schedule and now it was long since overdue. They'd had to settle for poultry and forget most of the culinary feast planned for this Christmas.

But the last trip had made both Lou and Dawn pull their hair. The Christmas tree was too big to fit through the door. Buck had to fetch ropes to tie the branches down, then it turned out to be too long and Kid had to go get the saw and take off a couple of inches. The sawdust was a new addition to the mud on the floor. Then it turned out that the tree was too wide and occupied half of the room, effectively blocking the door into the hallway. Kid had brought forth the idea of axing it into the corner and Buck had concurred. By that time Dawn had stared blankly at the males debating crisis handling. But alas, the ax had been fetched once again and half of the tree had been chopped off before the remains were pressed into the corner. With some good will it looked just fine, that is if you didn't look at it from the left side. Then Buck offered to tie the bright gold ribbon on the top despite Dawn's assurances that they'd do it themselves as long as the men got their dirty boots out of her house. Of course they didn't listen and the tree had come down, with Kid sprawled over it and Buck pinned underneath. By then Dawn had got one of her seldom seen but much feared, five minute conniptions. She shooed the sorry pair out of the house while Lou took refuge into the bedroom to shield the poor babies' ears from the offensive language. Blossom had sprung into a loud wailing cry and Emma was not the one to let her companion down and added to the ruckus with her own piercing wails. It had taken Lou much cuddling, face making and tickling before the two were smiling again. Not to forget, one of the brightly red, ridiculously costly apples she had sneaked out to fetch off the counter. All the while she tiptoed into the kitchen she could hear Dawn mutter loudly about her not celebrating the stupid holidays, the bugs a stupid tree would bring into the house and a few more nasty remarks on silly traditions she did not quite comprehend.

It had taken a while before Lou dared peek out and assess the situation. It seemed calm enough and she tiptoed back into the den, not quite ready to meet the fury if it was still lurking.

What met her eyes made her smile; the tree stood tall, the floors were clean and the yellow ribbon on the top of the Christmas tree sat straight, the red rosettes and the apples were neatly hung on the branches. On a chair sat a drained woman, her eyes meeting Lou's with a hollow expression. But Lou knew the cure for that. At the children's awe and shining eyes, even Dawn cracked a smile.

By then it was already dark outside and Lou had busied herself with the coffee she had envisioned enjoying hours ago.

Lou sighed when she finally had the time to sink down into the chair by the window and stir the steaming coffee in a generous mug. It was getting dark outside already and the day had swept by far too soon. It was the days before Christmas Eve of their third year as a married couple. She had decided this would be one to remember, one that they'd talk about in years to come; 'remember that Christmas when everything was perfect?' When the tree with the red ribbons and the lit candles was the perfect shape, the turkey never so tasty, and the apples never so sweet. She thought they'd deserve it after their hard work on the homestead. It had been three hard years, house building, fixing up, financial distress, babies, and too little time for the family. It would all change this Christmas, or so she had thought.

She had written Jimmy and Cody months ago to invite them back home for Christmas. Cody had at least responded and promised to his best, but being in the Army - that was really all he could do. This war was dragging on and even though the South seemed to be loosing, the rebels did not give in. Much like her husband, she smiled to herself at the stubbornness of her man. Wartime was hard, merchandise was scarce, sorrow hung in the air with every dreadful letter that arrived. Kid was obviously feeling guilt for not fighting for his land, just like he'd feel for fighting the wrong fight. It was hell on him; she'd noticed that from the crease on his brow every time there was talk about the war. Being this far west spared them the most horrifying events. But there were still friends fighting, food lacking and the fear that the war would change their lives forever. It haunted them like a ghost.

This Christmas would change all that and for just one day they'd all stand united, together in festivity and gratitude.

But Jimmy never responded to her letter and Cody hadn't shown up and it was two days to Christmas and her house was in shambles. .

With a sigh Lou turned to Dawn, standing by the window, carefully sipping her hot coffee.

"Looks like almost done," Dawn said. "I gotta have Buck wear that apron more," she continued dreamily, "looks darned good," she paused with a guilty grin in Lou's direction. "I mean - it suits him."

Lou chuckled, "I'll give him one next Christmas, I promise. That is if we survive this one."

Dawn sank down in the other chair and rested her feet. "I remember what my mother used to tell me about her Christmases when she was a child. All seemed so dreamy and happy. Seemed like tales from another world. Father used to tease her about all that. But sometimes I missed not having seen all the things she was talking about; sleigh rides to the church, jingle-bells, and long walks in the snow. What she called gingerbread with sugar on top, and the church bells. We never had any of that, and I always wished I'd someday see it.

"Miss your family, don't ya?" Lou asked softly.

"You all are my family now," Dawn smiled to cover the raspy tone of her voice. "I made a choice and I don't regret it. It’s just all so very new to me. I wonder what my brothers are doin' thou'. We used to go hunting when the moon was full on the darkest days of the year. We'd cook whatever we got in honor of the spirits and the twelve grandmothers, while the elders told us about our story. And my mother would tell everybody that wanted to hear about your God and baby-Jesus and the three wise men. Ma would tell us that it was a time of peace in the white men's world. Peace and plenty, we never had enough of that. But after that, we'd start counting moons until spring. We always stayed in the hills during winter, more prey over there. More food, even if there wasn't ever enough. Winter was always hard, a lot of old people would die, I never liked winter."

Lou's eyes brimmed with tears at the memory of her childhood Christmases. Momma had always tried to do her best, regardless of the means. Neighbors had sometimes pitched in and helped them out. There had never been plenty. But one Christmas she had gotten Anna-Belle Mumblepuss and that was a thing she'd never forget. Or like when Momma lighted the candles and they all sat by the table listening to her read. And her soft voice as she sang Christmas carols while cooking their meager dinner. It had never been a day of plenty, but it had been beautiful all the same.

Oh, oh," Dawn remarked, "I see smoke coming out of the pipe, I think they're over the worst."

"You sayin' we should be merciful and serve them some dinner," Lou grinned as she rose to stand besides Dawn.

The lantern on the porch made the snow falling glitter as it danced around happily in the wind. The ground was already covered in white fluff, concealing the brownish, muddy dirt underneath.

"Nah," Dawn shook her head and took another sip of the coffee. "Let 'em wash up properly first, if we start givin' in to their puppy eyes, we're doomed."

Lou laughed and lifted her mug; "Hear, hear."

"Should we set the table for them already?" Dawn glanced at Lou, suddenly stuck by something that resembled a tad of guilt at her glee."

"Well," Lou chewed at her bottom lip before shrugging. "Well, it is the time of mercy, ain't it?"

"And he did look darned fine in that apron," Dawn spoke dreamily

Lou laughed as she walked to set the table and finally feed the eternally hungry men in her life.

Lou walked over to the house, the layer of snow was getting thick and the cold wind made her lantern pant as she moved over the yard. Her critical eyes swept over the windowpanes, but found nothing to remark on. Sometimes she just loved to nag on him and she was sure she'd find something to tease him about. If nothing else, she was sure he had forgot to shave. She hid her smile while opening the door and stepping inside.

The scent of pine filled the room with freshness. It was darned near perfection. Voices were heard in the den; obviously they were trying to get the tree to stand straight. Walking into the kitchen she let her fingers sweep over the impeccably clean cabinet doors, the newly washed stove and the new table clothe on the table. No, tonight she would not have the heart to tease any of them, they had done their work just fine and it was close to Christmas after all.

Kid was standing near the doorway, scratching his head as he tried to convince Teaspoon that the tree truly was standing straight. The older man squinted his left eye and took a closer look before finally nodding, content. Buck was on the top of the chair, trying out the top star to see if it fit between the treetop and the ceiling.

Lou smiled at the way men figured things out. Wouldn't it have been easier to figure out the tree's height before bringing it inside? Then she snuck her arms around Kid's waist from behind. "Hey," she whispered softly into his ear, having him turn around. While the two others were still otherwise occupied. He kissed her lips furtively before she stepped up to his side and let her presence be known to the rest.

"Looks fine," she chuckled, "it's time for dinner an I declare you relieved from cleaning duty."

"An' Kid won't have to sleep in the henhouse?" Buck inquired while stepping off the chair.

"Nah, Kid's in the clear," Lou smiled, "but I'm not so sure about you."

Buck threw her a crooked grin and shook his head. "I've seen her mad but today, well lemme just say I see why some of us are called banshees. I wouldn't like to meet that woman on a regular basis."

"Son, " Teaspoon piped in, "one thing I've learned through the years is; never, and I mean never, argue with a crossed woman. And don't walk in on her washed floor with dirty boots and don't ya ever, an ' I truly mean ever, disarrange her cabinets! They never put the things where they outta be but don't you dare pointing that out. That'll lead to your own funeral for sure. That is if she even bothers to bury you, she might just drop you in a creek an' leave you there to soak if.."

"Teaspoon," Buck pointed out, "that's three things already."

"And I'm just warmin' up," the self-elected expert on all things concerning women, married life, child-rearing and family life, remarked idly.

Sensing a sermon, Lou groaned and ushered the men out off her house, there was just so much she could take in a day. Specially from the gender that seemed to have no clue whatsoever, at least not on women, child rearing and family life.

It was already far past their usual bedtime when they fought the wind and snow to get back to their house. Kid had popped over twice to put more wood in the furnaces and heat the house up. Their daughter was already sleeping in his arms and all that was needed was to put her to bed and wash the man up before hitting the sack. Despite his efforts, Kid still had soot behind hi ears, Lou had noted that during dinner and decided to clean him up for good this time. After all, she had counted they had about seven hours to sleep before the daily routines would take over again. She's sacrifice some of that sleep to get kid presentable. Right now she cursed herself for offering to make breakfast and feed the horses in order to let the men out at first light to get a bird. They wouldn't budge on that issue, all three of them were adamant on having something like a turkey on the table the day after tomorrow. And she still had to wrap up Mumblepuss if she ever got dry enough to handle. And the new socks she had made Kid, and the soap she had got Dawn. And if she was real lucky she'd find Kid's gift stack, she knew he had one because if there was one thing he wasn't good at was keeping silent while sticking the scissors into his thumb. He had done that when he wrapped the gifts. By now she had given him a third grade about what he had gotten her, to no avail. What rested was sneaking out of bed, finding the gift and softly thumbing around the edges to find out what it consisted of. At times she couldn't believe a married woman like herself was that childish around Christmas.

"I know what you're thinkin', " Kid grinned when he reached out to pull the door open. "You've got that look."

"So you know you still got dirt behind your ears, do ya?" She innocently batted her eyelashes at him as she snuck into the warmth.

"What? No, I recognize that face from last year when I caught you red handed with your fingers under the wrappings. And I don't have dirt behind my ears! They might be sittin' loose from all your naggin' thou," the man chuckled.

"Oh Lord, don't remind me of the mess. You'da needed a good spanking," Lou leered, "get Emma into her cot and yourself back down here right away. If you think I'm through with you, you're badly mistaken."

"You won't find 'em," her irritatingly smug husband replied before taking the stairs in three strides.

It was too late before Lou found an appropriately soaked rag to throw after him, but she'd get her revenge. She smiled victoriously as she started pouring the heated the water into a basin and went to get the soap. There was a tiny bit left of the rosy one, the one Kid protested heavily against using because it was too 'womanly'.

She gave him a hearty smile when he reappeared; revenge was best served in sweet wrappings.

She wandered in a rosy garden, the sky was a clear blue and the scent of the roses hung in the air. She bathed in it, spiraling on her toes around and around, until she lifted and spread her arms out as she flew through the blue, her clothes hindered her but despite it all, she was tremendously happy as she sailed though fluffy clouds the shape of sterling roses. The wind was getting cooler, a breeze of fresh air reached her face and down below she heard her name called out. "Lou?"

The awakening was brusque, another call had her sitting up in bed and stare into the darkness of their bedroom. Her husband was already up and stumbled around looking for his pants. He managed to knock the stool over before he slammed his knee into the bed frame and cursed under his breath.

"Lou, Kid, what ya doin' up there?"

"Jimmy?" She was up in a blink of an eye, snatching the robe and running downstairs in her socks. The coldness of their kitchen didn't bother her when she flung her arms around Jimmy's neck and laughed. "Ya came, ya really did!"

Jimmy grinned.

Kid was standing on the last step ogling, shirt buttoned up wrong and his jaw hallway to the floor. "Eh? Jimmy, what time is it?"

"I dunno know, lost track of time halfway down the road from Willow Creek." He sniffed the air and cast a wondering glance in Kid's direction.” You still heavy on that rose-water Kid?"

Lou bit her lower lip when Jimmy walked up to Kid and boxed his upper arm friendly, "I thought I told ya to be careful around that stuff. But after tonight, we all might need it."

"Huh?" Kid was too surprised to come up with a witty remark.

"You better come on out, we have kind of a problem outside," Jimmy lowered his voice.

"What?" Lou's ears perked and she steeled herself for the trouble Jimmy was talking about. For a brief moment she envisioned the Army on his tail or a mad gunslinger wanting his revenge. "What now, I don't think I can take any more of men and trouble right now."

"Wild turkeys," Jimmy informed them, "a lot o' tem and Cody's trying to get them into your barn to store them overnight. We kinda went hunting after we talked to Rachel and.."

"You went to Rachel's before coming here?" Lou felt a nasty little prick of pure childish envy at Jimmy's words.

"Planned on gettin' somethin' nice for Christmas before we rode out here," Jimmy glanced at her before continuing "Anyhow, she told us there was a turkey shortage and Cody..."

"Cody?" Lou asked, "Ya mean Cody's with ya?"

Jimmy merely nodded and made a sign outside before he went on: "gathered we'd do some hunting and make a big profit outta it. Saw traces on our way here. So off we went and... Well to make a long story short, we now have around thirty turkeys outside that need some handling before they can be sold on. For maximum profit as Cody puts it. An' ya know we'll have to get them off our hands before tomorrow or the lot of you will have turkey till ya drop."

Buck stormed in, slamming the door and stopping in his tracks at the sight of Jimmy. "Ya know what time it is?"

"Why does everybody keep asking me that?" Jimmy grumbled. "Can't be that late."

Lou stole a glance at the clock on the wall; 4. a.m. Then she cleared her throat and recounted the story in one single sentence "Buck, Jimmy and Cody's been hunting and they brought thirty turkeys to be prepared for tomorrow "

"Who's gonna eat..."

"They plan on making a huge profit due to the turkey shortage." Lou explained.

Buck merely stared, first at Lou who shrugged her shoulders, then at Kid who had sunken down on the stairs and was resting his head in his hands and then on Jimmy who looked just a tad guilty.

"I know thirty was stretching it a bit but y'all know Cody. When he sees something to make a dime off, he grabs it. I couldn't stop him!"

"I don't even eat the birds," Buck remarked before adding: "and what is this rosy smell in here?"

Kid groaned just as Teaspoon stepped in and sniffed the air. Lou realized she had overdone it a bit. .

When morning broke the men were still out in the barn, preparing the turkeys. Lou was still trying to get Mumblepuss dry and Dawn was lethargically staring into a void and mumbling; "Thirty turkeys, of all the moronic ideas...how come when men solve one problem they create twenty nine new ones?" All while preparing a huge amount of bacon and eggs.

But the children were rosy cheeked and painfully alert. There were high squeals of laughter, happy running around on more or less unsteady legs and curious fingers undoing the ribbons in the tree. Shredding the wrapping paper Lou had forgot on the table, trying to tie fallen ribbons on each other and getting mad when the other wouldn't stand still or they didn't succeed in their endeavors.

Dawn looked like she was ready to scream when she tried to handle both the bacon and the porridge at the same time. Lou was fully occupied with frying egg after egg and keeping an eye out on Mumblepuss drying up in the oven and handling Dawn the plates to set the table for their hungry offspring

The porridge rose and spilled over just as Dawn was placing the bowls on the table. Lou yelped and pulled the kettle off the stove just as the egg turned dangerously dark around the corners and Mumblepuss started to get a little bit too hot. Dawn took over to salvage the eggs just as Lou pulled Mumblepuss out and shielded her from the curious eyes of the small angels, with stolen ribbons, gathering behind her back. Then she sniffed her cautiously and realized she'd need some of the rosewater

"Ya think we're overdoin' it?" Dawn asked while watching Lou sniff the doll.

"Nah," Lou shook her head and hid the doll under her apron; she was undoubtedly hot to the touch. "This Christmas is goin' to be something to remember."

"Or the root to various nightmares," Dawn smirked while glaring at the mess on the stove.

Cody munched down three fried eggs in one breath. It was truly amazing how he managed to scoop all of them onto the fork and balance the load all the way to the mouth before he noticed the eyes directed at him. "Huh?" he let out between chews while looking around the table, genuinely surprised at the ogling he was observing.

"If I didn't know you had a double portion of beef jerky last night I'd ask if the Army was starvin' ya," Jimmy shook his head at the sight of the gluttony. “I know now why they let you off for so long, they can't afford feedin' ya."

Cody muttered and added some more bacon to his over-filled plate.

Lou laughed and walked to get the pitcher of milk, it was almost like old times, except for a few loved ones missing. Jimmy and Cody had come; everything would be alright as soon as the darned turkey-business was over with and the last preparations done. Tomorrow was Christmas Day and it would be a day to remember for a long time. "So how's it coming along with the birds?" she asked while pushing Kid slightly to the side to get room on the bench while she slipped her husband their offspring.

She was met with laconic silence and sporadic chewing sounds.

"I mean, will you get them done sometimes this year?" she asked.

"You'll be eating them the rest of the year," Buck spoke morosely. "There's no way you can get rid of all those birds in one day, an' specially not Christmas Eve. It's too late and those without probably have made other arrangements already."

"Naw," Cody promised, "we'll be rich the lot of us. They'll be hunting us down, bidding over each other at the sight of these fine ones. We'll be rich."

Dawn pensively rolled a piece of bacon around her fork and watched Cody's exuberance. "Isn't it kinda against the spirit to do a thing like that?"

"What ya mean?" Cody glanced at her, "an' if you're not eating that, I'll be happy to help out."

"Isn't this kind of a day of mercy and celebration and givin' praise?" Dawn pointed out silently. "An' am specially thinkin' about the givin' part of that."

Cody's mouth opened without a sound escaping. The rest looked at the woman who squirmed uneasily, "I'm just sayin'...."

"Dawn's right," Teaspoon said, "I can't read the Gospels knowing we took God's giving's and turned it into our own fortune. Don't seem right, or what y'all say?"

"Yeah," Lou nodded with a glance at her husband with their daughter in his lap, a fist smeared with eggs yoke in her mouth, eyes glittering as she followed every move around the table. Happiness in all its simplicity. "Don't seem right."

"Yeah," Jimmy sighed, "I hate to admit it but Dawn's got a point."

"We were just gettin' kinda blinded there for a while, the lot o' us," Teaspoon added, "and I think we all know what we gotta do."

"No-o," Cody groaned, "I've been sitting out there in the barn for hours and cleaning feathers of them nasty critters and you're saying I won't have anything for it? You're not sayin' what I think you're sayin, ar'ya?"

"Yeah, Cody," Kid replied, "we just can't do it. Besides, I don't think the rich folks who'd actually have all that money to buy the turkeys are lackin' anyhow. But there's a lotta folks that need 'em all the same. We'll just have to ride around and...."

Cody glared at the man opposite him. "Well Kid, un that case I'll leave the ridin' around to you. Coz that's what I've been doin' for an entire week to get here. "

"Fair enough," Lou beamed one of her more charming smiles in Cody's direction. "We’ll go as long as you take care of Emma and help Rachel and Dawn in the kitchen while we're out pounding the tracks, delivering your birds."

"Still sneaking out are they?" Jimmy grinned, "still takin' every chance to be lonesome together? An' Lou still duckin' the kitchen duties?"

Lou pouted in Jimmy's direction and he smiled and blinked.

"Now wait a minute, " Cody interrupted, suspiciously glancing around the table. "Now, about that helpin' out and all, I was thinking more like resting my weary bones." He peered at Lou's raised eyebrows and resorted to pleading. "Ain't there a way to get outta this deal?"

"Son, ya never learn do ya," Teaspoon chuckled. "And now, if I'm not mistaken we still have a couple of birds to clean out before we're done so let's get goin'"

"A couple?" Buck snorted, "last I counted there were more than a dozen."

"I hate those birds," Cody groaned into his coffee mug.

"Cody, this don't happen too often but I do agree whit ya on that one.". Buck cocked a sympathetic eyebrow in the depressed man's direction.

"Yeah?" His wife chimed in, "tell ya what, you take care of this mess, the peeling of the potatoes, the mashing of the corn and the kids while tidying the house up and gettin' the stove and oven clean before starting on the eggnog before stuffing the turkeys and then sitting all night watching them cook, I'll happily go handle any bird any time. Deal?"

"Cody," Buck cleared his voice, "I think.."

"Right behind you," Cody affirmed with his eyes on the door while he stumbled up from his seat.

Lou laughed when Kid handed their daughter over and rushed out behind them. The only man left was Teaspoon. At the glare of the women left behind he shrugged; " I'm looking out for this child here, just like ya told me to. An' I ain't finished my coffee yet either."

"Teaspoon," Dawn tapped the adopted grandfather's shoulder: “who is that with Rachel? Is that who I think it is?" Her eyes twinkled and Teaspoon squinted his to look out the window. Lou hurried up alongside Dawn and peered out into the darkness. The flickering light from the lanterns showed her sister and brother, obviously bathed and combed to perfection. Lou wondered how long that would last. When Jimmy ruffled Tessa's hair affectionately before twirling the young girl around, Rachel's efforts were totally disarrayed. Miah seemed ready for some real men's work and gesticulated to the barn, ready to soil the outfit. And then, there was Rachel, clad in her Sunday cape and behind her, the newly arrived schoolteacher, Mr. Matthew Grafton, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with the men on the porch.

Lou threw a glance and Dawn and suffocated a giggle. Dawn's eyes lit up at the prospect of slinging around merciless innuendos of romance in the air. Lou had been the target of that teasing on a number of occasions and she looked forward to seeing somebody else suffer from the devilishly mocked innocence She couldn't stop the grin that formed on her lips at the thought Then Rachel spotted them ogling her from the window and they turned and hastened to look incredibly busy. Emma was placed at Teaspoon's side and the two women giggled helplessly while they cleared the dirty dishes and put new ones to serve the arrived patrons.

It took Tessa and Miah about five minutes to gulp down a portion of porridge each, a couple of bread rolls before slipping into working clothes and heading out the door. There was in fact something fleeing about their pace. Mucking out the stables would wreak havoc with their tidy outlook but there was no stopping her siblings when there was company like Cody and Jimmy. They'd be fed with all kinds of stories and they always ran to the source of wonderful, albeit not always so true, tidbits of gossip, heroic eposes and adventurous tales of bravery. After all, there were two legends sitting in their barn, cleaning turkeys. And Cody would probably talk them into doing his job while he talked their ears off.

Dawn was at her best when serving the newly arrived the still hot bread rolls, she truly outdid herself in her own perfected little art. With a half-smile on her lips she circled around Rachel and Matthew, whom she had seated at the end of the table. Lou stood back and watched the display while serving the steaming black beverage.

"So Mr. Grafton, how ya likin' the scenery?" Dawn inquired, her eyes darting over to Rachel. "It's quite a bit harsher than back east, ain't it?"

"Oh, it's beautiful out here Ma'am, so wide and open and crisp and clear." The man smiled and raised his mug to help Lou in filling it.

"Crisp is right," Dawn beamed, "at times it can be almost knife-cuttingly crisp. Specially in the mornings, at times it's been rather deadly in fact. "

Matthew looked for explanation at Rachel, whose cheeks were now increasing in coloration. Last week she had verbally abused a drunken male knocking on her window after getting lost due to a long night in the local saloon. The poor man had taken a wrong turn and was helpless at the onslaught of harsh reprimands Rachel had bestowed upon him. Lou had heard the grape-wine sizzle with the tale for three whole days, so it was a huge event in Sweetwater.

Then Dawn put in her last poke; "Mr. Grafton, I hope it was milder in Sweetwater this morning, wouldn't want you to be intimidated by the occasional outbursts of crispiness in the air. Another cake, Mr. Grafton? Rachel made them, darned fine cook I say. Darned fine colleague too, I bet"

"It's Matthew, just Matthew, please. And no, no intimidation at all, I like it crisp."

Dawn smiled broadly and bestowed the man with an appreciative nod of the head. He had gotten the drift and that was enough for Dawn. The man was accepted and would from here on sustain many a subtle teasing.

Lou wondered if the non-intimidation part would stick once Dawn had prodded into him for a while. But Teaspoon came to his rescue, with his usual eloquence he conversed the man all while his grandchildren decided to take a nap in his lap. Rachel tied the apron in place and asked for the potatoes to peel.

Dawn took on the dishes and remarked about the beautiful pink color of the morning sky. Lou laughed and grabbed a towel to help dry

It was a grand day after all.

The sleigh was loaded to the rim. A list of possible recipients had been made and plans on how to sneak in, leave the turkey at the door and sneak right back carefully made up. Cody and Jimmy had been sent to Sweetwater to unload the birds that wouldn't fit in however much they tried. Cody would get his wish after all, free enterprise was after all the foundation of the country. Cody hadn't counted on the cold though; Lou suspected it would hamper the enterprise considerably.

It was the coldest Christmas she ever remembered. The snow squeaked under her feet as she walked over to her husband waiting at the sleigh. It had stopped snowing and the stars twinkled in the sky, the moonlight against the snow made the night seem magic; the trees casting faint shadows on the white, making everything look grander, softer and friendlier.

"You ready Lou?"

Kid's voice was muffled from the layers of cloths she had swept around his face, only the eyes were visible. She nodded and took his hand as he helped her position herself on the quilts.

"You don't need to come, you know. Why don't you stay at home by the fireplace?” Like Jimmy said, I am still ducking kitchen duty."

He laughed, wrapping his arms around her and nicking the reins against Katy's romp. The mare was covered with a dark quilt, up to her neck. Lou smiled at Kid's concern for his beloved horse. Trust Kid to see to it she wouldn't suffer the cold. Lou snuggled into his side and watched the transformed surroundings. The sounds oddly clear in the crisp air. Katy whinnied softly and walked with her neck bowed, happily chewing on her bit. Kid steered down to the creek; they'd follow it to the Sanders' place. They had just lost two of their sons to the war, Mr. Sanders knee had been bothering him all winter long and they still had at least ten mouths to feed. But they were proud people, they wouldn't accept alimonies. The plan was to stop Katy out of sight, take two turkeys and place them on the porch. Now the problem was the dog and Buck had come up with the perfect solution for that; a leg of a bird would silence it. Hopefully.

Katy was impatient, wanting to run but Kid considered it too cold for her to do anything but walk steadily. They had a fair amount of miles to cover anyhow. It would take a while before they'd be back home.

Lou rested her head on Kid's shoulder, smiling contentedly when he looked down on her with a question in the eyes. She pulled the shawl down on and placed a quick peck on his nose. His eyes glittered and they kissed, furtively and a tad guiltily at having so much fun while the folks back home were finishing the last preparations for their grand meal tomorrow.

"Jimmy was right, wasn't he?" Lou grinned at her husband, "we do still sneak out on occasions, don't we?"

"Jimmy's right about a lotta things," Kid murmured, "what ya say about making this our very own tradition?"

"What? Bringing turkeys to half of Sweetwater?"

Kid chuckled. "No, sneaking out on Christmas Eve and bein' all alone, just you and me. Ain't much of that around any longer."

"Yeah," Lou nodded, nose to nose with Kid. "I'd love that!" They sealed the pact with a kiss just as the light from the Sanders' house came into sight.

The dog was already barking and Lou and Kid locked gaze for a moment, knowing it wouldn't be as easy as they had planned.

Katy was parked behind some trees, bribed with some hay not to make any sounds and ruin their plan. Lou took the leg and Kid gripped the two birds. They looked at each other, realizing how ridiculous they looked right now and chuckled at the insanity of the ordeal. Then Lou started advancing, the dogs bark got louder.

"Hush, doggie," Lou wheezed,

"Bertie," Kid said behind her.

"Huh?"

"It's Bertie," Kid repeated, "that's what he's called. The dog I mean."

"And you couldn't tell me that before?" Lou wheezed, this time at her husband, following behind her with his head held low. "If you know him, say somethin' to 'im to stop him from makin all this noise!"

"Like what?" Kid whispered behind her, holding a snow filled branch of the apple tree out of her way.

Lou rolled her eyes and modulated her voice into sugary sweet; "Com'ere Bertie doggie, come get some goodies."

They were now approximately fifteen feet from the door and the dog was stunned to silence, staring at the cheeky intruders. Then the door opened and Mr. Sanders stood in the doorway, a rifle in his hand.

"Whoa," Kid stepped in front of Lou. "Mr. Sanders, it's me, Kid McCloud, I - I was just giving Bertie here a leg of a turkey."

Lou closed her eyes. Of all the stupid things to say he just had to start talking about the turkeys first thing he did.

"You what?"

"Mr. Sanders," Lou stepped out from behind Kid's back and offered the leg to Bertie. Bertie looked just as incredulous as Mr. Sanders. Lou pondered on a credible white lie that wouldn't send her straight to hell if told on Christmas Eve. "See, we got these two turkeys by mistake. They were delivered to us by mistake. I think the Army must have messed up somehow. And the boy was in a hurry so we promised to bring them over coz we're on our way..."

Kid sent her an appreciative look as Mr. Sanders face split up in a smile.” God bless you both!"

Mrs. Sanders showed up in the doorway, wondering about the ruckus. "The Army sent us turkeys and these fine folks brought them over. God Bless!"

Kid handed the birds over; moved to tears Mr. Sanders acceped them. He called out for his son to come fetch the second bird and soon there were expressions of awe heard from inside the house. Mrs. Sanders looked at them, a tear in the wrinkled face: "the Army didn't send them turkeys, did they?"

Kid twitched and looked at Lou who simply looked away. There was a limit to how much one could lie on a day like this.

The old woman framed Lou's face with her hands looking her straight in the eyes and spoke with a trembling voice. "Blessed be child, you just brought Christmas to this house. I will never forget that. Never. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of us all, thank you sweet child.”

By now Lou had tears in her own eyes and mumbled a "Merry Christmas" in response.

"Just you wait here," Mrs. Sanders said and disappeared into the house. Kid took Lou's hand and wiped her tears away. His smile was filled with sorrow and Lou knew that he too had seen famine and the joy a simple meal brought to those without.

Mrs. Sanders reappeared, holding a bottle in her hand. "The Army sent us a couple of these and they must have gotten mixed up somehow. It's cherry wine, home made. Best year ever. Enjoy!"

Lou smiled, knowing they had been made and were unable to decline because of Mrs. Sanders' trick. There was nothing left to say, they accepted the gift, bid their goodbyes, exchanged wishes for a Merry Christmas and walked back to the sleigh

Out of sight Lou wrapped her arms hard around Kid's neck and wept silently onto his coat. But it was tears of pure joy

The sound of the church bells carried over the plains as they drove up on their yard. The sound seemed to linger in the air and echo against the mountains far away in the east. It was midnight. Kid reined Katy to a halt outside the barn, turning to Lou and pulling her into a bear hug. "I love you Louise McCloud, never ever forget that!"

Lou laughed and returned the hug, pledging her love for him. She didn't need anything else right now, the night had been wondrous. Filled with warmth and beauty, adventure and laughter, hope and peace. She'd never forget this Christmas, she knew that now. But not for the clean house or the perfect Christmas tree, but for being here with Kid, Emma, her friends and the starry night. Kid swirled her around, and she cried tears of joy all over again.

A sudden ray of light and a giggle had Kid put her down on her feet again and look a tad sheepish. Lou turned and saw Buck and Dawn emerging from the barn.

"What are you two doin up still?" she asked astonished. Usually at this time of night the pair would have been snoring for hours already. "Everythin' alright?"

"Decided to check on the horses," Buck explained sanctimoniously.

"Sneaking out, huh?" Kid chuckled, "just wait till I tell Rachel 'bout this!"

"Ya wouldn't dare," Dawn grinned and tossed some snow in his direction. "I have too much dirt on you and Lou for that!"

"Didn't get the turkeys off our hands did ya?" Buck pointed at the heap on the sledge, it seemed just as large as when the two left.

"Not exactly," Lou explained. "the sneaking up part didn't work and this is the result." She stuck her hand under the quilt and fished up a jar of cranberry sauce, "We got somethin' from each and every one we handed turkeys to. There's homemade wine, potatoes, jam, sausages, bird seeds, you name it. They all gave us somethin', wouldn't let us leave without."

Dawn smiled and looked up at the moon. "I guess we got rich after all."

Buck nodded and pulled her into his hold. Dawn rested her head on her husband's shoulder and smiled; "Lou, you were right all along, this is a special Christmas. Specially now that I can send Cody out to unload, he's been talking my ears off."

"Send him on out, it'll keep him occupied for about an hour or so," Kid said, "I gotta take care of Katy."

"I'll help," Lou turned to start unhitching the mare.

"Still sneakin' around," Dawn told Buck in a conspiatory tone of voice, sticking her hand in his, "better leave 'em alone, they're not done romancin' yet!"

"Get!" Lou ordered, taking a fistful of snow and sending a cascade in their direction

Buck pulled his wife with him and started running to their house. Dawn's giggled and waved at them, shouting: "I love Christmas" at them. "Breakfast at our house, six o'clock sharp."

Kid shook his head at the early hours mentioned and pulled Lou and Katy into the barn. A kerosene lamp was lit inside and over the door there was mistletoe. Kid stopped and looked up, mystified to see the decoration there of all places.

"I put it there," Lou confessed, "thought I'd sneak out and surprise you tonight. And just in case I hung it up there so you'd have to kiss me."

"Like I need mistletoes to kiss ya," Kid joked. "Specially on Christmas."

Lou whispered "Merry Christmas" before she silenced him with her kiss.

The End

Happy Holidays, whatever you celebrate!

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